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Discover the Biological Sciences

The introductory information for this site has been contributed as a joint assignment by students in Bio. Sci. 10.

Anatomy - Digestive System

By: Michael Holland

The Digestive System
The biological field that I have chosen to research is Human Anatomy. My topic is about the digestive system and why it is important.

The digestive system is the system through which food and waste products pass and digestion takes place. It consists of the small and large intestines, the esophagus, stomach, and tubular structure, along with the liver and pancreatic glands. Food is broken down so it can be absorb into your blood stream.

The digestive system is complex system that breaks down food that eventually disturbs nutrient to your body. Since all absorb is broken down into nutrients the process is an amazing one. The system is a very detailed process that allows for much in depth study.

The digestive process begins with chewing the food. Your teeth break the food into small pieces, which is mixed with saliva. Saliva, containing the enzyme called “PTYALIN,” changes starches into sugars. Food then moves into the esophagus and then into the stomach. The food is broken into smaller and smaller pieces. Food then goes into the small intense which absorbs most of the nutrients. The large insistence has the job of removing waste. The liver, gallbladder and pancreas play a part in the final digestion process.

The most interesting part to me is the complexity of the digestive system and the many types of problems and diseases that can result in the process. I also found to be very interesting was the length of the small and large intestines. The large intestine is around 5 feet in length while the small intestine is an amazing twenty-two feet long. It is hard to comprehend that amount of length is inside our body.

References:
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. New York: William Morrow and Company Inc. 1994

Shaffer, Stephen MD. “Digestive System.” 2007. Kids Health. 9 September 2007. <http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/digestive.html>

Websites for information:
*http://www.truestarhealth.com/Notes/3846009.html
*http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/
*http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/index.html

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